Enemy Confidential: Seahawks Set to Confront Packers, Lambeau Demons in Divisional Round
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson loves facing the Green Bay Packers - as long as he doesn’t have to get on an airplane to do it.
In his career, Wilson is a perfect 4-0 against Green Bay in the friendly confines of CenturyLink Field, but has yet to win in three starts against the Packers at storied Lambeau Field. In fact, his numbers there have been downright ugly.
Wilson has completed just over 57 percent of his passes at Lambeau with only three touchdown passes to six interceptions on the Packers home turf. In December 2016, he laid one of his biggest eggs as a pro, throwing five picks in an ugly 38-10 loss.
Meanwhile, analysts aren’t quite sure what to make of the Packers, who finished 13-3 despite finishing in the middle of the pack in most offensive and defensive team stats.
But it’s still Aaron Rodgers, and it’s still Lambeau Field, and the Seahawks are still dealing with a number of injuries to key players as they get set to travel east with a trip to the NFC Championship Game on the line.
Here now is a look at the Seahawks upcoming playoff opponent, with series history, key statistics, an injury report, a look at the weather forecast, and coach Pete Carroll’s thoughts on the Packers.
SERIES HISTORY
--23rd meeting all time. The Packers lead the series 13-9.
The Seahawks have lost eight straight at Lambeau, last leaving with a victory in November 1999 behind the quarterbacking of Jon Kitna and defensive brilliance of Shawn Springs.
But these two teams have had some epic battles resulting in some of the more dramatic finishes in team (if not league) history. In a January playoff game in 2004, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was famously caught on the officials microphone proclaiming “We want the ball and we’re going to score!” after Seattle won the coin toss in overtime. Shortly after that, Al Harris intercepted Hasselbeck and returned it 52 yards to finish off the win for Green Bay.
2012 brought the controversial “Fail Mary” game in which Golden Tate was ruled to have caught the game-winning touchdown as time expired despite simultaneous possession with defensive back M.D. Jennings.
Then in the 2015 NFC Championship Game in Seattle, the Packers intercepted Wilson four times while jumping out to a 16-0 lead, only to see Wilson lead the Seahawks all the way back to win in overtime on his 35-yard scoring pass to Jermaine Kearse.
These two teams last met in November of 2018, with the Seahawks earning a hard fought 27-24 victory on Thursday Night Football.
WHAT’S NEW
--Additions: The biggest change made by the Packers last offseason was the hiring of coach Matt LaFleur to replace Mike McCarthy, who was fired after 12 seasons. But there were also major upgrades made on defense. After years of being known for being conservative in free agency, Green Bay committed $48 million in guaranteed money to bring in edge rushers Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith as well as safety Adrian Amos. It appears to be money well spent as the “Smith Brothers” have combined for 25.5 sacks on the year, while Amos has helped solidify the back end of the secondary.
In the draft, the Packers chose Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary and Maryland safety Darnell Savage in the first round. Gary has contributed 13 tackles and 2.0 sacks in 10 games while Savage is tied for second on the team with two interceptions.
--Subtractions: The Packers elected to allow some big names to walk as free agents following the 2018 season, including outside linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. and receiver Randall Cobb. Matthews Jr. signed with the Rams while Cobb ended up with the Cowboys. Veteran defensive tackle Mike Daniels was also released and signed with the division rival Lions before landing on injured reserve.
INJURY REPORT
As you can imagine, the Packers are rested and relatively healthy coming off their bye week. The only key veteran in jeopardy of missing the game is defensive tackle Kenny Clark. He missed practice Wednesday due to a back issue.
WEATHER FORECAST
Typically, playing at Lambeau Field in January means snow and extreme conditions. Remember the 2008 playoff game when the Seahawks jumped out to a 14-0 lead before getting rolled over by a heavy dose of snow and Brett Favre in a 42-20 loss? It appears as if Mother Nature is planning on being more gentle this time around. Sunny skies are expected during the day with temperatures around 20 degrees at kickoff. There’s a slight chance of snow showers moving in later that night, but as of now, those aren’t expected to start until well after the game ends. Winds are forecast between 5-10 miles per hour. That’s about as good as you can hope for this time of year in Wisconsin.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
50.4: Total QBR for Aaron Rodgers in 2019, 22nd in the NFL.
23.5: Points per game scored by the Packers offense, 14th in the NFL.
21.3: Percentage of throws deemed to be off target or “bad,” second-worst in the NFL.
1,739: Total yards after the catch by Packers receivers, eighth-best in the NFL.
28: Broken tackles by Packer receivers, tied for third-best in the NFL.
2.6: Average seconds Aaron Rodgers has before throws per each drop back, tied for second-best in the NFL.
2.5: Average yards before contact for Green Bay ball carriers, tied for fifth-best in the NFL.
19.6: Points per game allowed by the Packers defense, ninth in the NFL.
59.7: Opponent completion percentage allowed by Green Bay’s defense, third-best in the NFL.
1,921: Rushing yards surrendered by Green Bay defense, 22nd in the league.
22.6: Percentage of opposing drop backs Packers blitz, fifth-lowest in the NFL.
17: Interceptions by Green Bay defense, tied for third-best in the league.
14: Percentage of opposing drives ending in a turnover, seventh-best in the NFL.
CARROLL’S THOUGHTS
--The first thing that jumps out at Carroll is how different the Packer offense looks under the guidance of LaFleur, particularly in regards to play calling balance.
“They’re different. They’re a different offense and they look different on both sides of the ball,” Carroll said. “They’ve made some big adjustments. I think the thing that looks the most obvious is the way the running back is playing. Aaron Jones has just been a huge factor for them. He’s taken the pressure off the quarterback spot. The guy has rushed for 1,000 yards, caught almost 50 passes, and has been elusive. Scored 19 touchdowns or something like that. He’s been a huge, huge factor. I think that has changed them as much as everything.”
“The commitment to the running game is different,” Carroll continued. “I think that’s what’s different. Not that they didn’t run it before. Matt is from the Shanahan tree. That makes Alex Gibbs' tree. They run that principle of the running game and feature it. They’re really committed to it.”
--Defensively, Carroll sees similarities between the Packers best pass rusher and one of the Seahawks best edge defenders.
“I don’t know if anybody gives you more problems than Za’Darius (Smith) does in all the things that they do with him,” said Carroll. “He’s all over the place. They’ve recognized that he is an impact player, so they’ll spot him in a number of different locations with the different packages that they do. He’s very aggressive. He’s a penetrator. He and JD [Jadeveon] Clowney are very similar in the style that they play.”
--Despite talk that perhaps Aaron Rodgers' play has declined in this his age 36 season, Carroll isn’t buying it.
“Oh, he’s ridiculous. He’s ridiculous. He’s so good,” said Carroll. “He controls the game so much and he does so much at the line of scrimmage. Every aspect of the quarterbacking position from seeing and reading the defense to get his offense in the right place, to tempo, to cadence. Everything about it. The scramble aspect of his game is as good as you can get. His extraordinary accuracy making throws when he’s in unusual positions and things has been heralded. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. He’s a great player and he’s a great player at the end of the game, too. He’s a Hall of Famer.”
